RAPTORS: ON THE ICONOGRAPHY OF AN ENIGMATIC CAPITAL IN THE NAVE OF BEVERLEY MINSTER

Abstract

This article deals with the iconography of a unique fourteenth-century capital, situated near the one-time tomb of St John of Beverley in the nave of Beverley Minster, Yorkshire. The capital features two hybrid creatures, part animal, part human. Both creatures hold a severed bird’s claw. This article argues that these severed bird’s claws, resembling drinking vessels, are likely to be griffin claws. This interpretation allows for a reappraisal of the meaning of these figures and their use in the church.